In 1892, a Captain (and veteran Indian killer) is ordered to escort a Indian Chief to Montana from New Mexico. As basically a member of the party, the viewer is privy to the very personal lives of everyone involved and, as a character study, there are very few films that manage this level of performance and authenticity. The photography is stunning. However, this is not an action movie. If the characters and performances were not as interesting to watch as they were, this movie would have been like watching paint dry.Vanishing Point [1971]

Rotten Tomatoes = 76 / 82
Personal = 9.3

Attracting the cops to his speeding, a car delivery specialist is pursued by law enforcement through 3 states while driving a souped-up 1970 Dodge Challenger. Arguably the best chase film ever made and not just because of the chase. This film also touches heavily on the '70s culture, intolerance, a police force's incessant need to stop him when all he's really guilty of is speeding, and some truly colorful characters. Add in the flashbacks of our protagonist's life and the vanishing point becomes clear.First Knight [1995]

Rotten Tomatoes = 45 / 55
Personal = 6.7

Taking several chapters from King Arthur's legends and mish-mashing them together to create a story that's heavily focused on the romantic triangle of Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot amidst a war between Camelot and the conquests of Prince Malagant. If you're not looking for accuracy with the Arthurian history, legends, and literature and take this as it is, it's pretty good. Performances are heartfelt and emotional, fight scenes were well done, albeit not heavily choreographed, and I enjoyed it.Jacob's Ladder [1990]

Rotten Tomatoes = 69 / 84
Personal = 4.0

After being subjected to an experimental drug while in the Vietnam War, a man's life begins to disintegrate as he sees hallucinations of demons. I remember when this came out I was told don't bother. But recently, I've been told it's a movie I should see. Well, I shouldn't have bothered as this film is hopeless. Although interesting, nothing is resolved as we jump around aimlessly wrapped up in his hallucinations. And the twist ending? I saw it coming and was hoping that wasn't it. It was ...how depressing. Acting was great!Attack the Block [2011]

Rotten Tomatoes = 90 / 74
Personal = 7.8

Jet black yeti-looking aliens with fluorescent blue teeth invade the hood in South London. This movie was just plain fun. From the producers of
Shaun of the Dead,
the film never takes itself too seriously, has simple but superbly done creature effects, a good dose of gore, a larger dose of humor and some excellent performances. Awesome B-movie, have a good time, popcorn film ...definitely psychotronic.12 Strong [2018]

Rotten Tomatoes = 54 / 72
Personal = 8.1

Shortly after 9/11, a group of 12 men are sent to Northern Afghanistan to team up with a local warlord in an attempt to take out a Taliban stronghold. Great dramatization of a mission that, until recently, was kept classified, detailing the biggest Taliban defeat in Afghanistan. The culture clash between the Captain and the Warlord is full of philosophical tension and punctuated by great performances all around. Awesome war action. May be criticized for being too theatrical but isn't that why we go to the movies?The Nightmare [2015]
aka Der NachtmahrRotten Tomatoes = 50 / 70
Personal = 3.3

A girl befriends an odd creature she finds in her house while everyone else thinks she's losing her mind. The definition of dull, this movie is basically a cross between
E.T.
and
Basket Case
(with none of the fun or scares) with everyone terrified of a creature that is obviously non-threatening. The film had me interested up until the creature made an appearance. After that, no one's actions were logical, I waited in ungodly amount of time for something to happen and, ultimately, the film made no sense. Liked the music.Flypaper [2011]

Rotten Tomatoes = 17 / 42
Personal = 7.3

Two separate crews attempt to rob the same bank at closing time. What they didn't count on was a Sherlock Holmes type hostage or that this may be far more than just a bank robbery. I didn't have much hope for this film early on as much of the humor fell flat and the characters were a little over the top. However, as the film wore on, the characters became far more likable, the film got funnier, more complex and entertaining and the twist ending was excellent. What I thought was going to bore me turned out to be a really fun ride.Wrong Turn [2003]

Rotten Tomatoes = 41 / 54
Personal = 6.8

A group of young people take the wrong turn in the hills of West Virginia and experience life with the locals. Similar to
The Hills Have Eyes,
this is simply another inbred mutant slasher movie. However, it's done very well ...as noted by 5 sequels. It gets started in a hurry and the victims are normal (including the one prone to hysteria). Their actions are logical and smart making for some very exciting scenarios where they're actually trying to save themselves. How refreshing! The mutants were entertaining, as well. Nice!Cloverfield [2008]

Rotten Tomatoes = 77 / 68
Personal = 5.9

A group of friends try to survive when Manhattan is suddenly and inexplicably attacked by a massively huge monster of unknown origin. This movie should be an incredibly exciting thrill ride. However, unlike the films
[REC],
V/H/S/2,
and
As Above, So Below,
which really knew how to use the hand-held camera most effectively, the camera in this film was just all over the place all the time. Rather than thrilled, I was frustrated the camera was never pointing at what I wanted to look at and just gave me a headache.Happy Hunting [2017]

Rotten Tomatoes = 100 / 46
Personal = 4.6

An alcoholic, on his way to Mexico, stops in a small border town and finds himself the prey in a hunt. This movie is so flat, there's few adjectives to describe it. It's not thrilling or suspenseful. No tension. No humor. No witty or quotable dialogue. Neither the film nor anyone in it has any personality. It's not terrible but there's really nothing about it that's worth mentioning. And, after all that, the ending was a huge let down. And RT gave it 100%?? I don't get it. You want to see a film like this, watch
Desierto.King Arthur: Legend of the Sword [2017]

Rotten Tomatoes = 31 / 69
Personal = 5.4

Yet another different version of the Excalibur / King Arthur legend. This was a strange one. Director Guy Ritchie is best known for British street gang movies
(Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels)
and, unfortunately, that experience sort of bleeds into this one. The vernacular is all wrong and no one really behaves like you would expect, the editing was odd and didn't feel natural, and, except for the opening sequence, the spec fx were forgettable. It was entertaining but far from feeling authentic.10 Cloverfield Lane [2016]

Rotten Tomatoes = 89 / 79
Personal = 8.6

A woman, in an auto accident, wakes up in a bunker lorded over by a well-meaning but totally psycho man who tells her going outside is lethal due to an invasion. The second film in the Cloverfield series is miles above the first in all respects. The performances of all three occupants of the bunker are great (especially John Goodman) and the tension never abates as it goes from suspicion to acceptance to total chaos. Somewhat slow but brilliant character study with a wholly satisfying ending.Time Lapse [2014]

Rotten Tomatoes = 75 / 64
Personal = 7.4

An apartment manager and his two roommates investigate an apartment where it appears the occupant has disappeared. Inside they find a machine that takes photographs of their living room 24 hours into the future. I had trouble wrapping my head around this one in a logical sense but that's the point. Does the camera really show the future or is everyone planning their actions to insure they duplicate the photo? Excellent twisted ending leaving you wondering if they really could have changed things. Good stuff!The Cloverfield Paradox [2018]

Rotten Tomatoes = 18 / 44
Personal = 4.6

With the nations of the earth on the brink of war, due to dwindling energy reserves, a space station tries to get the largest particle accelerator ever to produce unlimited free energy. This movie concerns overlapping parallel universes and the chaos that would develop. However, they focused far too much on each character's personal story (which wasn't that interesting) and far too little on how much chaos a situation like that would create. I was looking for an
Event Horizon.
Got a TV episode of
Star Trek.The Snowman [2017]

Rotten Tomatoes = 8 / 18
Personal = 4.0

An alcoholic investigator and a newcomer to the department investigate a number of disappearances; all of which have a snowman on site. Once again, far too much time spent on the people in the story and far too little time spent on the actual crimes. Add the fact that the movie's plot is disjointed, wastes time on characters and subplots that make no difference to the story and I didn't understand anyone's motivation for the things they do. The ending was just silly. Too bad the movie no where near as good as the trailer.John Wick [2014]

Rotten Tomatoes = 86 / 80
Personal = 8.5

This is what happens when you go to the home of a retired hitman, one of the best in the world, steal his '69 Mustang and kill his dog. Incredibly lethal, high-action thrill ride with an explosive body count. The story is good, the characters are just a bit over-the-top and very fun to watch, the action choreography is unlike anything I've seen before, and it never lets you take a breath. It's painfully obvious that the role of John Wick was made exclusively for Keanu Reeves. Looking forward to seeing
Chapter 2.The Wave [2015]
aka BolgenRotten Tomatoes = 83 / 65
Personal = 7.5

A Norwegian disaster film based on what might happen if Akneset, an unstable mountain pass, were to fracture off sending an 80 meter high wall of water down the fjord. Us Americans tend to make our disaster movies filled with excitement, thrills, and loaded with spec fx. This film tended to be far more realistic and human. We got to know the characters intimately and really cared about them. They also managed to make the attempts to save each other thrilling and realistic without being outrageous. Nicely done!Romeo Must Die [2000]

Rotten Tomatoes = 33 / 61
Personal = 5.6

A friendship develops between the son of a Chinese mob boss and the daughter of an African-American mob boss while the two sides are on the brink of a gang war. This is a pretty standard, average, run-of-the-mill mob movie without any particular frills or action scenes except for a few fights to show off Jet Li's talents. Although, the fights were ok, some of the stunts felt more Jackie Chan than Jet Li and included a lot of those cool but physically impossible moves. Overall, good, entertaining film but nothing special.John Wick: Chapter 2 [2017]

Rotten Tomatoes = 89 / 85
Personal = 8.7

After cleaning up his mess in the first film and retiring again, John is forced back into the business of killing people. Everything that made the first movie work so well is still here. On top of all the action and gun play is a story line that is increasingly hostile to John literally turning his world into a fight for survival no matter where he goes. Obviously set up for a sequel. Looking forward to it.

The Quiet Earth [1985]

Rotten Tomatoes = 73 / 69
Personal = 6.4

A man wakes up to find that everyone else has disappeared. This interesting, New Zealand film, follows this man's personal journey, as well as the few others he meets, making it a fairly good and enjoyable character study. It's also quite dated in the respect that we've seen so many variations on the story by now that are so much better, this is sort of bland. I can understand it's cult following and some are going to love this film. I found it good, and the reason they're alone was unique, it just wasn't particularly my cup of tea.The Lure [2015]
aka Corki DancinguRotten Tomatoes = 87 / 72
Personal = 2.1

An incredibly bad, Polish horror?, comedy??, musical, about 2 mermaids who sing and dance at a nightclub. We have naked girls with no genitals. We have mermaids eating people. Tail amputation? Mermaid vaginas? Sea foam, what? Sea foam!! ...all done to some absolutely terrible music and dance. Since it got good ratings, I'm assuming this is a cultural thing but as for me?.. I would rather slit my wrists before sitting through this again. Geez, this was awful!The Salton Sea [2002]

Rotten Tomatoes = 62 / 83
Personal = 9.3

Tom Van Allen / Danny Parker - tweeker, dealer, confidential informant, avenger, and trumpet player. Val Kilmer is spectacular as a man who's twisted journey takes one turn after another. Vincent D'Onofrio is awesome as the totally psycho drug dealer. The director, D.J. Caruso, gave everyone total freedom with their parts giving the characters a realism that's hard to find these days. A film noir that seamlessly moves between serious and humorous, a clever story that all starts with the tragedy at the Salton Sea. Brilliant!Renaissance [2006]

Rotten Tomatoes = 49 / 60
Personal = 5.3

A renegade cop searches for a lady whose been kidnapped due to her research into Progeria. I wasn't a big fan of the high-contrast black & white format of animation. Be that as it may, the animation (using motion capture) was impressively done and very smooth. The story, however, was somewhat hard to follow and not that engaging. The end was a big come down. Certainly not a favorite as far as animated films go.Veteran [2015]
aka BeterangRotten Tomatoes = 89 / 76
Personal = 7.5

A veteran cop goes after a corrupt and sadistic corporate president - whose assault on a truck driver left him in a coma - even though he gets nothing but ridicule from everyone. Not so much a South Korean, action film but rather one driven mostly by the flamboyant personalities of the characters and some really good writing. Never really too serious but never really too campy, the movie does a great job of just being entertaining and fun. I really enjoyed it.Peter Rabbit [2018]

Rotten Tomatoes = 64 / 57
Personal = 7.0

Peter Rabbit and his family and friends (the other animals) go to war with a new neighbor. Put aside all the crud we've been hearing about it not being like the book and some protest about an epipen (which I don't understand), this was a genuinely fun film. The creatures are realistically flawless, the situations were humorous and well thought out and there's plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Anytime my wife and I start talking about scenes in the movie on the way home, and laugh all over again, that's a good thing.Kong: Skull Island [2017]

Rotten Tomatoes = 75 / 69
Personal = 7.1

Basically, a version of King Kong minus the trip to New York. A very exciting version with loads of quality action, some very impressive spec fx, and some great photography. The creatures, in addition to Kong, were quite cool and the characters were well defined. Just what a grand adventure should be.

I, Frankenstein [2014]

Rotten Tomatoes = 4 / 38
Personal = 5.0

200 years after Frankenstein created him, the creature is caught in the middle of an ancient war between good and evil. If I had walked into a room with this on, I probably would have asked if it was an
Underworld
movie. Same gothic lighting and color palette, gargoyles vs demons instead of vampires vs lycans, Michael, the half-breed, is now Adam, Frankenstein's creation and even Viktor is in it ...except he's now the head demon, Naberius. It was entertaining enough but absolutely nothing that stands out above all the rest.The Ring Two [2005]

Rotten Tomatoes = 19 / 38
Personal = 6.6

Rachel and son move to a new home in a new town in an attempt to leave the madness of Samara behind. Well... she's back! Pretty good follow up to
The Ring.
It has a few flaws and contrived bits but overall, it had some good creeps (although not as effective as the first film) and a nice extension to the story that was so much more than just watching video tapes.

Frequency [2000]

Rotten Tomatoes = 70 / 81
Personal = 7.3

A fireman is killed on-the-job. 30 years later, his son finds dad's old ham radio. When he turns it on, he finds that he can talk to dad 30 years in the past and prevent his death. Chaos ensues. Like
The Butterfly Effect,
any attempt to change the past changes everything and the story for this version is handled very well. I felt the ending was just a bit too clean for the subject matter, as well as being somewhat on the sappy side but, overall, this is a good, suspenseful movie that keeps you thinking and guessing.House of Fears [2007]

Rotten Tomatoes = - / 22
Personal = 5.6

A tour guide for a "fear" museum sneaks into the museum the night before its grand opening with a bunch of friends. Guess what happens? If you go into this knowing it's low budget with some not-so-bright teenagers and one contrived scene after another and all it's doing is trying to entertain you, it's really rather fun. Has that drive-in B-movie quality that I remember so well from my youth. Not good but not as bad as you'd think.Lost Souls [1998]
aka Nightworld: Lost SoulsRotten Tomatoes = - / -
Personal = 5.2

A family with an autistic daughter moves to a new town. The father finds an old machine made by Thomas Edison in the house. Upon turning it on, strange things begin to happen. This is your blatantly typical made-for-TV supernatural mystery with nothing new or special and the mystery is so cliche that it was basically no mystery at all. It wasn't bad, though. Laura Harling was excellent as the autistic girl ...she didn't overplay it and you bought it completely throughout the film. Overall, not bad.Melancholia [2011]

Rotten Tomatoes = 79 / 67
Personal = 2.5

A rogue planet is on a collision course with earth and we get to watch how dysfunctional people use the time. The first 15 minutes of this movie has some spectacular imagery. Then we spend an hour as a participant to an uncomfortable wedding reception. Then we spend an hour watching a few people doing nothing in particular. Everyone in this film is so pathetic and nothing happens except a lot of pain everyone inflicts on themselves and each other. I couldn't wait for the earth to get destroyed ...put us all out of our misery.Black Panther [2018]

Rotten Tomatoes = 97 / 77
Personal = 8.3

In the technologically superior and isolated land of Wakanda, T'Challa ascends to the throne as king and Black Panther when his father is assassinated. Then finds out there's a secret heir, Killmonger, who's prepared to challenge the new king. Once again, Marvel hits the spot with a great story, adventure, action, conflict, dilemma, incredible eye candy and human emotion. And the costumes? WOW! Not as good as Thor: Ragnarok, imo, but certainly another winner for the MCU.Universal Soldier [1992]

Rotten Tomatoes = 25 / 46
Personal = 5.3

Two soldiers, who killed each other in Vietnam, are now genetically modified killing automatons. Unfortunately, they're beginning to remember that they want to kill each other. Pretty typical Van Damme / Lundren escapist action thriller with a lot of fighting. Throw in a reporter that gets caught up in the whole thing and turn it into a chase movie and here's what you got. Being these are super soldiers, I was expecting more
Terminator
but not bad for what it was.The Whole Nine Yards [2000]

Rotten Tomatoes = 45 / 64
Personal = 6.6

A dentist, whose marriage and life is miserable, meets the new next-door neighbor, a professional mob hit-man in hiding. His life suddenly gets very exciting. This is one of those twisted dark comedies with a multitude of character, all with different agendas, and the chaos it creates is humorous and complex. Twisting from one moment to the next, the story is all over the place and yet it's still easy to follow while being thoroughly entertaining. I've seen better movies like this but this is good one.Ghost in the Shell [2017]

Rotten Tomatoes = 45 / 51
Personal = 7.8

Major, a human brain placed in a fully cybernetic body, is now a super soldier in the fight against terrorism. But who are the terrorist? A super visual treat, even if you don't particular like the movie, you'll have to admit it sure looks pretty. For me, the familiar story doesn't take anything away from the film. Scarlett Johansson is, once again, fantastic as she manages to keep her character somewhat mechanical with the emotions and memories leaking through. Surreal, stylish and good action, sci fi at its best.Annihilation [2018]

Rotten Tomatoes = 88 / 66
Personal = 9.9

A group of scientists enter the shimmer ...an anomaly created by a meteorite that's spreading and apparently laying waste to whatever lies in it's path. If you like movies to be explained and wrapped up in a nice package, you're going to hate this film. It is so totally alien, there is little attempt by the filmmakers to explain anything making it simply a ride-along on a very profound journey ...rendering the implications all the more terrifying. I was absolutely captivated right up to the ambiguous ending, which I thought was perfect.Scream of the Banshee [2011]

Rotten Tomatoes = - / 14
Personal = 4.6

An antiquities appraiser at a high school finds a banshee's head in a box. ...and the fun begins. A low-budget TV movie with chintzy effects and lame acting. However, it did have a few things going for it. It never resorted to making the principals do moronic things as a way of driving the story ...something I really appreciate. It had some intensely, cringe worthy visuals, and it moved along at a good steady pace ...I was never bored. Yeah, it's not a good film but I was entertained, nonetheless.Game Night [2018]

Rotten Tomatoes = 81 / 86
Personal = 8.1

A fake kidnapping planned for 'game night' among friends suddenly becomes very real ...they just don't know it. This is a seriously twisted and funny movie. My wife and I laughed out loud throughout and, in the 'bullet removal' scene and the 'bloody dog' scene, we laughed so hard we fell silent. Making numerous twists and turns and throwing in personal humor between characters, this was a superbly well-written adventure that's a whole lot of fun. Don't miss game night!Rememory [2017]

Rotten Tomatoes = 22 / 41
Personal = 8.2

The creator of a machine, that allows you to see any of your memories in full detail, dies in his office. Was it murder? This is the story of one man's odyssey to find out the lives of all those that have been touched by the machine in one form or another. Peter Dinklage's performance is personal and heartfelt and the story is emotional, disturbing, and totally engaging with an ironic and profoundly sad twist. I've seen very few dramas that effect me on this emotional level. Well done!Realive [2016]

Rotten Tomatoes = 79 / 51
Personal = 4.8

A man, dying of cancer, decides to have himself cryogenically frozen. Little did he realize he would become the first successful cryogenic reanimation sixty years later. Spending considerable time showing us his life before and the psychological issues involved after, the message I got out of it was confusing. It's better to be nothing than to live? Is that what they're saying? Overall, I found this film to be a depressing, disturbing, too clinical and a far too fatalistic version of "be careful what you wish for".The Horde [2012]
aka OrdaRotten Tomatoes = - / 45
Personal = 3.9

A fictionalized account in the history of the Golden Horde in Russia around the 14th century about a holy man attempting to stop an attack on Moscow by curing the blindness of the Tartar Queen. In fact, that's practically all this movie is about. There's no action, no warfare and hardly any politics. The movie takes over 2 hours to tell a half hour story and concentrates almost exclusively on how much this holy man suffers until the Queen regains her sight. Very historically authentic visually but that's all its got going for it.The Expendables 3 [2014]

Rotten Tomatoes = 32 / 49
Personal = 7.5

Another CIA job goes sour except, this time, an arms dealer turns out to be an ex-Expendable that was supposed to be dead. Barney decides to go after him with a new crew. Three movies into the franchise and the films are still just as fun and exciting. Part of that excitement is the new but very familiar faces that keep showing up. And to have Ronda Rousey as one of the new faces?? No complaints here. Still isn't confirmed whether an E4 is in the works or not but I hope so.The Fear Chamber [2009]

Rotten Tomatoes = - / 8
Personal = 2.7

A detective (with visions) continues to hunt a psychotic killer after the killer forced the detective to get a heart transplant from an earlier confrontation. The overall idea for the story wasn't that bad but the writing was so abysmal, the amateur actors never stood a chance! They should of had one of their office workers read the script first and try to at least incorporate some logic and have people talk sorta maybe normal? The twist ending was mildly surprising and I really like the post-credit music by Digital Mindy.House of 1000 Corpses [2003]

Rotten Tomatoes = 19 / 65
Personal = 8.3

Two couples road tripping stop at Captain Spaulding's Chicken & Gasoline for the Murder Ride followed by a visit to Dr. Satan's tree. Then things get weird. This film is virtually a collage of disturbing yet artistic visuals, in a morbid way, intermixed with some grotesquely colorful characters committing murder and mayhem and having an incredibly good time doing it. It's macabre, bizarre, gory, and ludicrous, this Rob Zombie masterpiece will be either loved or hated. Total insanity.< January 2018
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